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Marvel’s Huge "Iron Man 3" Mistake

It’s not what what you think.

Walt Disney(NYSE:DIS) passed on the chance to excite kids with a special edition of Iron Man for Free Comic Book Day on May 4. Each year, publishers submit issues to be distributed to anyone who wanders into a comics shop that day. Marvel's choice this year? Infinity, a space epic that calls back to last summer's Big Screen hit, Marvel's The Avengers, and teases next summer's Guardians of the Galaxy.

Talk about a missed opportunity, says Tim Beyers of Motley Fool Rule Breakers and Motley Fool Supernova in the following interview with the Fool's Erin Miller. While Iron Man 3 was busy raking in the second-largest domestic box-office opening of all time, kids who stopped by comics shops were picking up free issues of Superman.

To be fair, Time Warner(NYSE:TWX.DL) has a lot more to lose than does Disney at this point. Warner needs kids to get excited about its titular superhero ahead of next month's reboot, Man of Steel. Between Free Comic Book Day and a variety of well-received trailers, it appears as though the strategy is working, Tim says.

Did you indulge in Free Comic Book Day? Or did you prefer to treat May 4 as Star Wars Day? Please watch the video to get Tim's full take and then tell us what you thought of Iron Man 3 and whether you think Disney is a buy now.

Author

Tim Beyers first began writing for the Fool in 2003. Today, he's an analyst for Motley Fool Rule Breakers and Motley Fool Supernova. At Fool.com, he covers disruptive ideas in technology and entertainment. Find him online at timbeyers.me or send email to tbeyers@foolcontractors.com. For more insights, follow Tim on Twitter.